


A Little Less Alone

by hope170



Category: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Cartoon)
Genre: AU I suppose, Hugo makes a friend, I don't usually do that, I have most of it planned out already, I'm not the best at writing dialogue, and yet there's supposed to be a lot in this story, as opposed to my countless unfinished projects, it should help me actually finish this story, it's easier when you're not alone, things go a bit better, we'll see how that goes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:26:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25166161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hope170/pseuds/hope170
Summary: Hugo finds himself stuck on the surface, alone and afraid and very tired. But this time, he gets lucky. He doesn't have to be alone.
Relationships: Lio Oak/Song Oak, hugo/oc, scarlemagne/oc
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	1. The Surface

The silence of the day was shattered by a loud boom. The ground shuttered and shook with the sound and the nearby animals were sent running or flying away. A large section of ground in the city crumbled, a large creature emerging from the debris of what was now a massive hole. It appeared to be a monkey, three or four hundred feet tall, roaring at the world around it in a fury that only a creature like that could feel. And in the chaos of its emergence and the destruction surrounding it, a lone figure ran away.

And just like that, Hugo was alone on the surface, out of his small room for the first time in his life.

His first day out on the surface was hard and fraught with dangers. Any time he thought he had found somewhere safe to rest, he was quickly forced away by one danger or another. There were giant spiders, deadly plants, mega bunnies, and more. The day was spent in constant fear and by the time it got dark he was exhausted, physically and mentally.

The safest place he found yet was an old, rundown shop. There didn’t appear to be any dangerous creatures about and the inside was clear. In the far end of the shop there was a large picture of what looked to be a human family. He found himself staring at it, a hollow feeling growing in his chest. He wondered if Lio and Song were okay. What happened to them? Did they try to come back for him? Did they make it out of the burrow? 

It was too much to linger on. He needed to rest. He found a sort of paper nearby that reminded him of his old blanket, blue and covered in stars. It was the closest he was going to get to comfort, even if the paper wasn’t soft or warm. He curled up on the floor by the picture, trying to ignore the nagging loneliness and fall asleep. The exhaustion made it easy enough.

That night he dreamed. He dreamt that he was a king. He lived in a grand palace with a magnificent piano he got to play whenever he wanted. The palace didn’t have a roof. Instead, it was covered with leaves of all sorts of colors, the sunlight streaming through them to leave patches of colored light on the ground and walls, blue, pink, orange, green. It was beautiful. And he wasn’t the only one there! Lio and Song were there too, smiling at him. They were so proud of him, he could tell! There was so much love there and he felt … peaceful, content maybe. He wasn’t sure, but everything was perfect.

And then he woke up, the nightmare of reality crashing down on him as he heard the roars outside and the ground shook with the steps of some giant beast. He ran out to see what was going on only to find what looked like a giant rabbit dreadfully close. So he kept running, out of the city and into a sort of woodsy area. He felt safer here, under the cover of the leaves and branches. 

He stopped by one of the trees to catch his breath. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. It had only been about a day but he was already so tired of being afraid. It almost made him long for his tiny room. At least he was safe there. At least he wasn’t constantly afraid or constantly in danger of losing his life.

He had only rest for a moment before there was a rustling from nearby. It sounded like footsteps and they were right next to him. He reacted before he could think, spinning around to face the source of the sound with a startled yelp, raising his arms in front of himself defensively. 

“No! Stop!”

And nothing happened.

He hadn’t even realized he had closed his eyes until he opened them again. When he did, he found standing in front of him was a human girl, probably only thirteen or fourteen. She looked at him with a blank expression on her face and a forced smile. Oh no, he recognized that look. It was the same look the man at the lab had. 

He took a step back, then another before he fell on his backside. He hadn’t meant to do it, but some of his pheromones must have gotten onto her. He didn’t know what to do but was still kind of thankful he had a moment to catch his breath. Again. 

Slowly, he got back to his feet, eyeing the girl cautiously. She had tan skin, her hair a dark brown mess of tangles and curls, and her eyes were dark. In the shade of the trees they almost looked black. Where did she come from? Was she from the burrow? No, that couldn’t be. She was wearing different clothes and looked dirtier than any burrow person he had seen. So she must have been from the surface. Was she dangerous? She was a bit taller than him but she didn’t look armed. All she had was a bag slung over one shoulder and a guitar on her back. Still, he couldn’t be sure.

Oh, wait, of course he could!

“Are you dangerous?” He asked, trying his best to keep his voice strong.

“I can be.” Was the girl’s answer, her voice monotone and empty. He frowned.

“But are you going to hurt me?” He rephrased. 

“No.”

Well, he supposed that meant it was okay. But now he had a new issue to deal with. How was he supposed to snap her out of it? Would the pheromones just … wear off? Could he just command her to snap out of it? He supposed it was worth a try, and if that didn’t work then he could think up something else.

“Well then, um … can you… snap out of it?”

At his words, the girl closed her eyes and groaned, stumbling back. She leaned heavily against a tree, blinking rapidly and shaking her head to clear it. Hugo was just relieved that was all it took.

“Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that …”

The girl looked at him and he froze. He didn’t know what to do now that her eyes were locked onto him and began to shrink under her gaze.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I think.”

For a moment they sort of just stared at each other, neither knowing what they were supposed to say or do. Eventually, the girl cleared her throat.

“So, um, that was weird.”

Hugo’s shoulders hunched a bit and he looked away.

“Yeah, sorry again. I really didn’t mean to.”

She shrugged.

“I should have probably paid more attention, it’s partially my fault.” she said, readjusted her bag. “What’s your name?”

“Hugo.” he mumbled. She made an odd sound and he looked up at her confused. She had looked away, a hand covering her mouth as she tried to suppress a laugh. He huffed and crossed his arms. “What’s that for?”

She shook her head, looking back to him with a smile.

“Sorry dude, I didn’t mean to laugh, it’s just … Hugo? Really?”

“And what exactly is wrong with my name?”

She shook her head. 

“Nothing, nothing, it’s just kind of funny is all. I’m Charlotte, but you can call me Charlie.”

He tilted his head a little curiously.

“Why? Charlotte is a beautiful name!”

“Yeah, but Charlie is easier to say and more casual and I just kind of prefer it.”

“Well, alright then. It’s nice to meet you, Charlie.” 

She smiled again and he smiled with her. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he liked this girl. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, monkey boy.” He narrowed his eyes at the name but otherwise didn’t respond and she laughed. “Come on then. It’s not good to stay in one spot for too long.” 

And with that she started walking off into the woods. For a moment Hugo wondered what to do. It seemed like she expected him to follow her, but should he? It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go or be. She was starting to get awfully far. If he just waited long enough she would be gone. That thought scared him more than anything else. He ran after her, slowing only when he got by her side again. He almost didn’t catch the wry smile that crossed her face.

“So what brings you out to these woods? Ya get lost or something?”

He thought for a moment.

“Can you get lost if you have nowhere to be or to go back too?” 

“Oh, don’t get all philosophical with me. If you don’t know where you are then you’re lost, simple as that.”

“Then I suppose I am lost. I haven’t really been paying attention to where I’ve been running, I’ve just been running.”

“From what?”

“Oh, different things. This morning it was a giant rabbit.”

She laughed again. It was a nice sound, different from Lio or Song’s laugh, lighter somehow. 

“That big thing? You don’t need to worry about her all that much. She’ll only bother you if you touch one of her babies and even then it’s only because you smell like them and she’ll think you are her baby.”

Hugo visibly cringed at the thought of being taken away to live in that monster's nest. 

“Dully noted. I’ll, uh, I’ll have to avoid that.”

She shrugged.

“It’s not too bad. Just difficult to get away.”

He looked at her in shock.

“Has she taken you before.” She looked away, busying herself with staring into the branches of the trees. He took that as a yes, shaking his head in disbelief. “Not that bad.” he mumbled. It sounded like a nightmare to him.

They continued to walk until they reached the edge of the woods, the ruins of the city before them. They paused there, Charlie looking out thoughtfully.

“Do you have somewhere to go tonight?” she finally asked, catching Hugo by surprise. 

“I, um, well… No, not really. I didn’t really have any plans. I’m not sure what to do. I’ve never been on the surface before.”

Charlie spun to face him, dark eyes big and looking quite shocked. She just sort of stared at him for a while, long enough that he started feeling very awkward.

“Is that a problem?” He finally asked, indignation seeping into his voice. Charlie shook her head, still looking quite perplexed.

“No, I … I guess I’m just confused. I thought only humans lived underground? Like, in their burrows and stuff. I didn’t think any mutes lived with them.”

Hugo didn’t want to respond, didn’t really want to talk about it. 

“... anyway, no, I didn’t have any plans.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, clearly wanting to ask more questions and for a moment he thought she was going to delve further and bother him about it. He managed to stave off a sigh of relief when she finally looked away from him.

“Fine. You can stay with me if you want.”

“Wait, really?” he asked, the delight visible on his face. She smiled at him.

“Of course! I mean, if this really is your first time on the surface then I can’t very well leave you, can I? You’d probably get eaten or something.” She chuckled. Hugo didn’t laugh with her, just looked off into the distance. “...That was a joke. You’re not going to get eaten or anything.”

“Very reassuring…” He mumbled. Charlie just shrugged and started walking again, Hugo following close behind.


	2. Peaches

She seemed to know her way through the ruins of the city very well. It was actually very difficult for him to keep up and he was sure that, had he been any less agile, he would have been easily left behind. Thankfully, he managed to not lose sight of her.

They went into one of the shops. It was very similar to the one he had slept in last night, it just sold different things. And was far more empty. Most everything on the shelves was gone, just a few odd boxes left here and there. He wondered what exactly Charlie was expecting to find here. But she didn’t even look around, she just went right for the back and through a door there. The back room wasn’t any more filled than the front of the shop. There was just the one box in the back that Charlie started rummaging through.

“What are you looking for?” He asked, trying to peer around her and into the box. 

“Just one second..” She mumbled. He huffed but resigned himself to wait. Luckily, it didn’t take her too long to find whatever it was she was looking for. When she turned around she was holding a blue bag, sort of like a backpack with a drawstring on top. He looked at her questioningly. “It’s a hammock.” That, unfortunately, did not help him in the slightest. “Don’t you know what a hammock is?”

“Not really…”

“Didn’t they have things like hammocks in your weird mute burrow?”

“... Not where I was.”

At the very least it didn’t look like she was judging him for his lack of knowledge. She just looked thoughtful.

“Alright, how do I explain this? A hammock is like … it’s something you use to sleep on, like a bed. You can hang it between trees and stuff. You know what, you’ll see what I mean later. Hold it for me, will you?”

He took the bag without complaint, still not quite sure what she meant but willing to go along with it. For now.

They left the shop. The sun was high overhead, near the middle of the sky. It was hard to believe the morning was already over. Charlie stared at the sky for a moment, looking thoughtful, then out over the city, then to the woods, the trees just visible through the buildings. After some time of contemplation she headed back for the woods.

Hugo hadn’t noticed how nervous being in the city made him until he was back under the cool shade of the leaves. A part of him decided the woods was the best place for him, at least compared to everywhere else he’s been. While here he could almost pretend that the surface wasn’t quite as dangerous a place. It could even be a beautiful place. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, leaving patches of light against the dirt path and bushes. With every breeze that swept through the branches the light would dance around and the smell of growing plants would hit him. It was actually kind of nice. Yes, the woods were his favorite place so far.

They walked through the woods quite leisurely and it was a while before they stopped again. Hugo watched curiously as Charlie looked into the branches of the trees, going from one to the other. He wasn’t quite sure what she was doing but he also didn’t really want to ask. He was confident that she knew what she was doing and if he needed to know, she would tell him.

She seemed to find what she was looking for at one of the trees. She took the guitar off, setting it down against one of the tree trunks. With a huff, she jumped at the bottom branches, pulling herself up and climbing high into the tree. She poked around for a bit before grabbing something off of one of the branches and dropping it into her bag. After a closer look, the whole tree was covered in these things. They were sort of round and were a pale pink or orange. Was it a type of fruit?

Charlie hopped back down a few moments later, her bag much heavier now. She was smiling now, looking rather happy with herself.

“Here.” She said, handing him one of the fruit. He took it, giving it a bit of a sniff. It smelled really nice and sweet and its skin was kind of fuzzy. He wasn’t really sure he wanted to eat something fuzzy but when he looked to charlie for reassurance he found that she was already eating hers, humming happily to herself. She sat down under the tree, motioning for Hugo to join her.

He looked back to the fruit in his hand before taking a small, tentative bite. The texture of the skin was a bit odd but the flavor was incredible! He had never had anything like it before, sweet and just a bit tangy. He sat down next to Charlie, happily digging into his snack. 

“This tastes amazing! What’s it called?” he asked, looking to Charlie. 

“Peaches. I think this area used to be an orchard or something because there’s a bunch of peach trees. They’re my favorite!” She took another bite of her peach. “No one else seems to know they’re here so it’s a pretty easy meal, too.”

Hugo hummed in acknowledgment, already finished with his peach. His stomach growled at him angrily, demanding more. 

“Can I have another?”

“Sure,” Charlie said with a shrug, dropping her bag between them. “There’s plenty. Just don’t eat too much or you’ll get a tummy ache.” She said that last part mockingly and chuckled at herself. He just rolled his eyes at her and grabbed another peach. 

A few moments passed in silence as they enjoyed their break. At least, Hugo was enjoying it until that feeling of being watched came over him. He looked back over to Charlie who wasn’t even pretending not to stare. When she saw he noticed she just spoke up.

“Those scratches look pretty nasty.”

“Excuse me?”

“The scratches on your face. They don’t look very good.”

“Oh.” He said, deciding to stare at a tree. “I hadn’t really paid that much attention to them.”

Which wasn’t entirely a lie. He hadn’t paid that much attention to them because he had all but forgotten they were even there. He knew they were there, of course, because he felt the sting when he woke up in the rubble, but with everything that had happened after, it had escaped him. He really didn’t think it mattered now.

And yet Charlie seemed rather bothered by it. She started shuffling through her bag again, pushing the peaches aside in her search. He watched her curiously as she grabbed what looked like a water bottle and some sort of rag. He looked at her with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

“And what exactly are you planning to do with those?”

She made a sound of indignation, a hand flying to her chest in mock astonishment.

“Do you not trust me?”

“I’ve known you for less than a day.” He said, deadpan. She just shrugged.

“You need to clean your cuts or they might get infected. I’ve had that happen to me once before and trust me, it was not fun.” She offered the water and rag to him. He looked between the items and her face before giving in with a sigh and taking them from her. She was probably right. She had lived on the surface for far longer than him, after all. Maybe even years. He realized he didn’t even know.

He wet the rag and went to work trying to clean the cuts. It was more difficult than he thought it would be because he couldn’t tell where exactly the cuts were or if he was getting them clean enough. A mirror would have helped quite a lot, but he supposed that would be a bit too much to ask for out here. 

“Dare I ask how long you’ve been by yourself up here?”

“Well, clearly you already did.” She said, an amused smirk on her face. “I’ve been on the surface my whole life. I grew up in these woods and I swear, I will die in these woods. Preferably from old age.” 

“You’ve been alone the whole time?” he asked, astonished. That clearly wasn’t possible! Charlie shook her head.  
“No, I wasn’t always alone. I was with my parents til a few years ago. And besides, I’m hanging out with you know, aren’t I?” She smiled at him and he gave a little smile back.

“That’s true.” 

They sat in silence for a few moments longer, Charlie watching while Hugo continued to struggle cleaning the scratches. Eventually, she spoke up again.

“Do you want some help?” Hugo huffed but nodded, handing the rag to her. She scooted closer to him. “Okay, just look straight ahead.”

She got to work cleaning his scratches, pressing a lot firmer than he did. It was a bit uncomfortable but not painful. He tried not scowling or wincing but if he did she didn’t respond to it. 

“So, what’s it like, living in a burrow? I can’t imagine living underground like that.”

Hugo didn’t respond at first. He just kept looking off into the distance, a melancholic look on his face. Charlie’s smile dropped but she chose not to say anything. After a few moments, he spoke up.

“I don’t really know.” he finally said. “I didn’t live in the burrow with the humans. I was in my own room. That’s all I’ve ever known.”

Charlie thought a moment.

“The surface is a big change from a single room.”

“Yeah, it’s … a lot. But it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.”

“Really?” Charlie asked, voice full of doubt. 

“No, really! I definitely expected worse, especially on my own. But … nothing has actually attacked me. Sure, I was terrified for a while. Everything’s just so new and I don’t know what’s going on or what I’m doing. But it seems okay now. At least, I’m not constantly terrified anymore.” He turned to her with a smile, forcing her to stop what she was doing. “You’ve actually helped a lot.”

She smiled back. 

“I’m always happy to help someone who needs it, especially a friend. Now would you face forward, I’m almost done.”

He did what she said and it wasn’t long before she was stopping.

“There, see? All done!” she said, stuffing the bottle and rag back into her bag. She stood up with a huff, slinging the bag over her shoulder once more, then putting the guitar back on her back. “We should get going again. I can show you where I live!” She didn’t even wait for him to respond, just turned and started walking. So, Hugo got up and followed.


	3. Tree House Time

Hugo was a bit confused. Didn’t Charlie say they were heading for her home? So why did they stop in some random spot in the woods and why was Charlie climbing another tree? This one didn’t have any fruit in it, so it definitely wasn’t for that. As he watched, the girl disappeared in the branches until he couldn’t see her at all. 

“What’re you waiting for? Climb up!” he heard her shout. 

Alright then, he was sure he could climb the tree without too much problem. No big deal! He adjusted the hammock bag to make sure it wouldn’t fall off and grabbed for the bottom branches. It really wasn’t too difficult and he felt kind of proud that he managed so easily. He got pretty high up, maybe halfway up the tree, when he ran into a cluster of branches and twigs. There was a hole he could fit through, one he had seen Charlie go through, so that’s where he went.

He blinked in surprise. He didn’t quite know what he had expected when he followed Charlie into the tree, but it certainly wasn’t this.

There was a large wooden platform, the branches of the tree creating walls of sort on all sides. It looked like some branches had been cut down to create enough space for someone to stand up properly without getting leaves in their face. A few boxes were clustered to one side, probably supplies of some sort, and near those was some sort of rough-looking, pale green fabric slung between two branches with a variety of pillows and blankets piled inside. In the middle of the platform looked to be a large metal bowl, the inside covered with ash and the remnants of an old fire. 

He hopped onto the wooden platform, gazing around curiously. While he looked, Charlie took the hammock from him and got to work setting it up. She dumped the contents onto the floor and from that grabbed some hooks. 

“What are you doing?” Hugo asked, wandering over to her.

“Trying to put your hammock up. I have to put the hooks in the tree first then I can hang it up. It’ll look like that.”She said, motioning to the pile of pillows and blankets that were hung up nearby. 

“Hmm, alright. Can I help?”

It only took a few moments for them to get the hammock up. It was blue, as it turned out. Once it was up Charlie grabbed a few pillow and blankets from her hammock and put them in his. 

“Congratulations, you’re officially moved in!” She said, clapping a hand on his back. 

He hadn’t expected the odd feeling in his chest when she said that. This was his home now, wasn’t it?

It wasn’t too bad.

By the time they had finished putting the hammock up the sun was still high in the sky, albeit much further along than before. Still, Charlie insisted there was plenty of sunlight left and they should go do something.

Hugo was sitting in his new hammock, arms crossed.

“What sort of nonsense do you do for fun on the surface, anyways? I certainly can’t think of anything.”

“Oh, there’s a bunch of stuff, you just got to know where to look.” Charlie said, hanging upside down from one of the branches. “If you’re bored enough, you’ll find something to do. Right now, I think we should head back to the shops and get some clothes.”

“ … really? Clothes shopping? That’s your idea of fun?”

“Of course!” She said, swing back up so she was sitting on her branch now. “Clearly you’ve never tried on outfits with friends before. Come on!” She jumped down and started for the exit. Hugo sighed but followed. He wasn’t really sure why this would be fun, but it wasn’t like he had anything else to do. Besides, he really should get some clothes for himself.

Luckily, the clothes store was closer than the one that had the hammock, just outside the edge of the woods. The inside looked just as dreadful as all the other stores in the area, but everything in here was oddly tidy. It looked like someone had taken the time to go through and hang as much of the clothes up on the racks as possible. Even the ones still on the ground had been folded and cleared of dust.

“Come here often, do you?” He asked Charlie. The girl just shrugged.

“There’s only so many things that are safe for a girl to do up here. Besides, I always need new clothes and it's easier to find what I need when it's organized. Now, what colors do you like?”

“I don’t really have a preference.” 

She looked him over for a second, face getting uncomfortably close, and humming to herself thoughtfully before heading for a rack.

“I think you’d look good in red and blue.”

“That seems oddly specific.” He followed her to the rack. She was already flipping through things. He didn’t really know what she was looking for but she seemed really intent on finding something specific.

“It matches the markings on your face.” She explained. “There’s this really nice shirt I think you’d look good in, I just need to figure out what size you are.” 

So, they looked through the clothes. Hugo wasn’t really sure what he should be looking for, but he knew he wanted to get something nice. Charlie made him try different things on to find his size and once they knew that they had a field day. Charlie had been right, trying on clothes was fun! She insisted on trying on different, increasingly ridiculous outfits, even managing to draw a laugh out of him. He actually liked trying on different outfits, too, though his weren’t quite as silly as hers, mostly because he was actually looking for something he’d wear consistently. He ended up deciding on a red button up shirt and a simple pair of jeans. He wanted to get slacks but Charlie insisted they wouldn’t do very well in the forest.

“See, I told you red and blue were your colors! You look great!’

Hugo gave a little smile, tugging at one of his sleeves.

“You think so?”

“Of course!” And oddly enough, she really seemed to mean it. It was nice.


	4. A Restless Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hugo has trouble falling asleep.

Hugo’s second day on the surface was most definitely better than his first. He didn’t have to spend all his time running and worrying if something was going to pop out and kill him. He had found a safe place to sleep, had found some clothes, had a full stomach, and best yet, he had made a friend. Yes, all in all it had been a good day.

But that didn’t make it any easier to sleep.

He wasn’t quite sure why. The hammock was far comfier than anything he’s slept in before and he knew he was safe in the tree. Perhaps it was just because he was somewhere new. Perhaps it was the odd sounds of the woods he wasn’t used to. Whatever the case, he found himself squirming around, unable to sit still and just go to sleep.

He could just make everything out in the dark, like the outline of the floor, the few boxes, and Charlie's own hammock not too far away. He couldn’t really tell, but she seemed to be asleep, her pile of blankets rising and falling in rhythm with her breathing. He thought for a moment.

“... Charlie?”

He all but whispered her name and for a moment he thought she didn’t hear him. But then she shifted and made a sleepy noise.

“Yeah?”

“Are you awake?”

“I am now.”

“Oh… sorry, I didn’t really want to wake you.”

She sighed.

“It’s fine. Is something bothering you?”

He paused for a moment. 

“I don’t know, I just can’t fall asleep.”

“That sucks. I had trouble sleeping when I was first on my own, too. It took a couple of days to adjust.”

“But you did adjust eventually … right?”

“Yeah.” He heard her shift in her hammock again before settling. “You know, it helped me to have a comfort item. I had a stuffed animal my Mom made for me. He was a bear. I called him Mr. Fluffybutt.”

Hugo tried not to laugh too loudly, but an odd noise still managed to escape. Charlie chuckled too.

“Shut up, man. I was six!”

He hummed an acknowledgment before the smile dropped from his face. 

“I had something like that. When I was at the burrow I had a blanket with stars on it. It always helped me calm down when I was upset. But … I don’t know where it is anymore.”

For a few moments they were both silent, then he could hear her shifting again and a few quiet footsteps towards him. He could just make her out in the dark standing next to him. He sat up, a little confused and was about to say something when he felt something soft being shoved into his hands.

“I know it’s not your blanket, but do you want Fluffy? Maybe it’ll help.”

The smile came back to his face and he took the stuffed bear, holding it close to his chest.

“I think I’ll give it a try. Thank you.” 

“Your welcome.”

He heard the footsteps again as she went back to her hammock and settled back down. Again there was silence. 

He tried sleeping again but still couldn’t close his eyes. Now all he could think about was Lio and Song. He wondered if they managed to get out like he did. Were they okay? Were they out there somewhere, just as sleepless as him? Maybe they were looking for him. Maybe they were lost and hungry. He really missed them. He wanted so bad to see them again, even if it meant being back at the burrow in that one little room. He didn’t want to be here alone.

His grip on the bear tightened. It wasn’t very soft. It’s fur felt slightly matted and old but that didn’t bother him. At that moment he was just grateful he had something to hold onto. He could pretend, just for a moment, that it was them, as silly as that sounded. 

“Still awake?”

He nodded before remembering just how dark it was. “Yes.”

“Mmm, want to talk for a bit? You’re bound to get tired eventually.”

“... about what?”

There was a beat of silence before Charlie shifted again.

“What do you like to do? Like, what did you do back in the burrow?”

Hugo thought it over. There hadn’t been a whole lot for him to do. He read his books and there was some toys, though he had outgrown those pretty quickly.

“I suppose I liked playing the piano.” He finally said.

“Really? That’s pretty cool. I’ve always wanted to learn but never could. My mom just didn’t have the time to teach me.”

“Did she teach you how to play guitar?”

“Nah, that was my Dad. He knew how to play all sorts of instruments. Mom just played the piano. That guitar I have is actually his. I try to play it whenever I can.” She paused. “Who taught you to play? Do you have parents?”

“Well…” He debated with himself about how much exactly he wanted to tell this girl. It wasn’t like he knew her all that well. He hugged the stuffed bear a bit closer. “I don’t really have parents.” He found himself saying. “Lio and Song raised me. They took care of me since I was a baby.”

“Doesn’t that make them your parents then?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your parents don’t have to be related to you. It’s just whoever loved you and took care of you growing up. Did Lio and Song love you?”

He smiled a little, remembering every time they hugged him, how they taught him, the smiles on their faces whenever he learned something new, the sad looks on their faces whenever they had to leave.

“Yeah, they did. I guess they are my parents.”

A moment passed in silence.

“Hey.” Charlie spoke up, voice a bit brighter than before. “We should go looking for them tomorrow, Lio and Song. It may take a bit, but I think we could find them.”

Hugo felt something like hope light up in his chest.

“Really? You think we could find them?”

“Yeah! I’m friends with a few mutes around here, I can try to get them to help. There aren’t a lot of humans on the surface, they’re bound to notice if there’s some new ones running around. We can start first thing in the morning, when it gets light again. Sound good?”

“That sounds amazing! Thank you. Again.” He chuckled. “I’ve been saying that a lot, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, but what’s the alternative? NOT saying thank you like some sort of rude heathen?!”

That managed to make Hugo laugh again.

“I guess.”

They lapsed back into silence, but he didn’t mind. He snuggled deeper into the warmth of his blankets, the bear tucked close to his chest. He did end up falling asleep, the night sounds of the forest acting like a lullaby.


	5. Asking for Help

Hugo suddenly felt something touch him and his eyes snapped open. For a terrifying moment, he was back in that cage in the burrow. They were going to make him run again, he knew it, and the panic filled his entire body. He immediately flinched away from the touch, only getting more panicked as he felt his arms and legs were trapped. He couldn’t run away from Emilia, couldn’t escape! And no matter how much he thrashed about, it didn’t get any better.

But then there was an unfamiliar voice. It wasn’t Emilia, or her goons. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, you’re safe, just take a deep breath.”

And the voice was soft and comforting, so he listened and took a slow, deep breath, taking his time to properly take in his surroundings. It was okay, he wasn’t in his cage after all. He was in a tree, the early morning sunlight shining through the green leaves, and he wasn’t trapped, it was just a blanket. His panic slowly drained away, his heart rate slowing. It was fine, he was fine, he was safe.

“Better?”

He looked over to Charlie, the human girl a few steps away, looking a bit concerned. He immediately was hit with guilt, the feeling like a stone in his gut. He didn’t mean to worry her. 

“Yes, sorry, I’m fine now. You just … startled me is all.” He tried to give her a reassuring smile but she didn’t really react to it. 

“Alright, if you say so. I just, uh, I thought we could head out soon if you want. Get looking around.” She seemed a bit uncertain.

“Right. Yes, that sounds fine. Just let me… untangle myself from this blanket.”

They didn’t head out right away. It took a bit for Hugo to wake up properly and then Charlie insisted that they have breakfast so they each ate a peach and drank some water. But once that was done, they were off!

“Alright, how do we start?” Hugo asked, only half paying attention as he followed the girl through the woods. The rest of his attention was drawn to the small birds that flitted about nearby or the brightly colored flowers that grew here and there. It was a lot to take in after his room and cage. He didn’t know why it was only hitting him now just how much there was out here. Perhaps it was because he had been distracted before, maybe he had just been too stuck on survival mode to stop and actually take in this new world he was suddenly plunged into.

“I want to ask a few of my friends if they’ve seen anything first, then we can look ourselves. There’s at least a few spots people tend to be drawn to.” 

Hugo made a sound of acknowledgment, dropping to all fours as he paused to inspect a bright yellow flower. He debated picking it.

“Hugo! Come on!”

He jumped.

“Oh! Sorry!” He rushed forward to catch up with Charlie. “So, these friends of yours, what are they like?” He tried not to sound as nervous as he felt. It wasn’t like he had met a lot of people. Charlie was the only person he had met on the surface so far and he couldn’t expect everyone to be as nice as her, right?

She hummed as she thought, then shrugged.

“They're kinda nerds, actually. I mean, they’re wolves, so they can be pretty scary if you don’t know them, but thankfully I do.”

“O-oh, okay.” 

Even Hugo could tell how uncertain he sounded. Charlie smiled comfortingly, nudging his shoulder with hers.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, they’re cool. Like I said, I know them, they trust me. I mean, they’ve known me since I was a baby! They were friends with my parents.”

“Right, but… do you trust them?”

“Enough to ask them for help.”

“I suppose so…”

He didn’t sound convinced, but he was still following her so she kept going.

“Anyways, they’re nice enough. Huge science nerds! They’re really into astronomy, to the point where they live in an observatory.”

“Lio and Song like Astronomy!” Hugo brightened at the change of conversation. “They’ve taught me a lot about the stars!” 

He had learned about different sorts of animals while in his cage, including wolves. That’s why he was nervous, he knew they were quite viscous predators. But they liked astronomy! It was reassuring to know they had an interest that seemed so normal to them. It made him feel like they were still reasonable.

“No way! That’ll just make this even easier.” Charlie brightened too. “They just love talking about astronomy with others, especially people who know what they’re talking about! They can only deal with my stupid butt for so long, I’m sure.”

Hugo just looked at her and she almost burst into laughter at the pure confusion on his face.

“What do you mean? You’re not stupid! In fact, you’re one of the smartest people I know!”

And the sincerity in his voice was really heart warming, even if she knew it wasn’t all that true.

“Not with astronomy. I don’t really care about that star stuff and it’s hard to wrap my mind around all that nonsense the wolves try to teach me.” She said with a sigh.

They had started going uphill now and as the ground rose the trees thinned. Almost instantly Hugo felt eyes on him, making his skin crawl. He hadn’t noticed he had scooted closer to Charlie until he felt her shoulder against his. He flinched slightly at the sudden contact but made no attempt to move away from her. Even that slight contact was comforting. He took a deep breath, ignoring the rustling of the bushes around them, no doubt hiding the skulking form of the wolves they were so carelessly wandering towards. He wondered if this was really a good idea.

He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders, a comforting weight, and looked up to see Charlie’s soft smile. No, it would be okay, he was sure of it. She hadn’t been wrong yet, had been nothing but kind and helpful. He trusted her. She knew what she was doing and with that knowledge he could stand a bit taller, a bit more confident, and smile back at her.

At the top of the hill was the observatory, a large white building with a dome. What looked like a large telescope was peaking out, aimed at the sky. In front of the entrance to the building was what must have been the wolves. They looked very similar to the pictures Lio and Song had shown him of wolves, only these were standing up on their hind legs and wearing turtlenecks, their fur varying shades of gray, eyes piercing.

As they approached the door more wolves emerged from the brush behind them. They were surrounded.

But still Charlie didn’t hesitate, didn’t even stop till she had reached the door and the wolves there stopped her. She just smiled at them brightly.

“Hey, guys! Is Billions and Billions busy?”

The wolf on the left narrowed their eyes at her while the other answered. 

“No, they’re not busy. But, uh ... “ She glanced over to the Mandrill. “We can’t let him in.”

Charlie looked confused, glancing back to Hugo as well, not responding when he clutched at her arm.

“Come on, Trish, you’re not really gonna make him stay out here. He’s with me, I vouch for him! He’s cool!” 

The wolves looked Hugo over, scrutinizing, and even though he trusted Charlie his skin still crawled and the fur on the back of his neck stood on end.

Finally, the wolf, Trish, nodded. 

“I guess that’s fine. Just keep an eye on him.”

The girl smiled brightly.

“Of course! He won’t leave my side.” She waved at them as she passed, Hugo clinging close to her side and trying not to flinch under the wolves intense gaze.

The inside of the observatory was surprisingly, impeccably so. There wasn’t a spot or smudge, no arrant plant or weed to be seen in the occasional crack in the walls. It was quite impressive, Hugo thought. Not to mention the fascinating experiments he could spot through the open doors in the hall. He couldn’t help but take it all in with wide eyes, ignoring the growing anxiety that filled him every time a wolf passed them, eyes always on him. He did notice that none of them gave Charlie a second glance. She had been right, then, the wolves did trust her. Maybe that meant this would work out? He let himself hope.

She stopped at one of the doors, this one closed and guarded by two more wolves. She gave them another happy little wave, cheery as ever, and to Hugo’s relief, they brightened up when they saw her.

“Charlie!” One of them called, delighted. “What are you doing here? You don’t have a lesson today.”

“I’m on a mission!” The girl announced proudly. “Which means I have to talk to Billions and Billions.”

“What sort of mission?” The second wolf asked, looking not at all entertained by the idea. His eyes went to Hugo, gaze filled with suspicion. 

“Just looking for someone. Can We go through?”

“Sure.” The first wolf said, shrugging. So they entered the room beyond.

Hugo stared in wonder. The room was big, shelves upon shelves of books lining the walls, more than he had ever seen before. In the middle of the room was a large table, even more books piled around it. And in the middle of the table, surrounded by their books, were what he assumed to be Billions and Billions. One had dark gray fur and wore a black jacket over his turtleneck. The other had lighter fur and a white jacket with glasses perched on his snout. They both looked at the two intruders with piercing magenta eyes.

Charlie gave a bit of a wave but didn’t say anything, didn’t approach. And Hugo didn’t mean to cower behind her but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything else. He gripped her arm a little harder, eyes trained on the two wolves.

“Ah, Charlotte! To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?” The one dressed in white said, rising from his seat to approach them. His brother mirrored his motions.

“I wanted to ask you for a favor.” 

“Depends on what it is.” The one dressed in black crossed his arms, not nearly as cheery as his brother appeared to be. 

“We need to find some humans. Their friends of ours and we’re worried about them.”

“Your friends? Or his friends?” Billions almost snarled, glaring at the Mandrill who shrunk farther behind the girl.

“Both.” 

The one in white put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

“Calm down. A friend of Charlotte’s is a friend of ours.” He turned, smiling at the frightened monkey. “We can’t necessarily put any wolves on it, we’ve got a hunt coming up. But if we happen to find any humans we can keep them around for you. What’re their names?”

Hugo felt hope swell up in his chest again. He stepped out a bit, standing taller as he spoke up.

“Lio and Song Oak.”

“They’re really into astronomy.” Charlie also spoke up and the two brothers perked up at the news.

“Are they?” The second one asked.

“Yes! They know so much about the stars!” Hugo smiled a bit at the memories of everything they taught him. 

The brothers shared a look, then smirked at each other.

“We’ll have to confirm that ourselves when we find them.”

Hugo felt like all the anxiety and tension his body just melted away. Now he clung to Charlie’s arm not from fear but because otherwise he was afraid he’d fall from how weak the shear relief left him. 

He would see Lio and Song again. He knew he would.


End file.
